Improvement in moistening devices



W. W. BEACH'. MoisteningDevioe.

I' No. 212,175.

Patented Feb. I1, 1879.

llllllI ILPETERS, PHOTQUTMQGRAPHE, wAsmNGromru. c. 1,'

UNITED 'I'.A'IE S FFIGE.

E N T WIILLIABI IV. BEACH, OF NEW'YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T() RUDOLFMEYER,

0F SAIVIE PLACE.

HVIPROVEMENT IN MOISTENING DEVICES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,175, dated February11, 1879 application filed .Tune 18, 1878.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, lVVILLLAM W. BEACH, of New York city, have inventedan Improved illoistening Device, of which the following is aspecification:

The object of my present invention is to pro videa device, which shallcombine a number of absorbent disks or moistening-surfaces of variouskinds, adapted for diierent uses, and in which the moisture may berenewed by a siluple movement 5 andthe nature of my invention will bemade plain in the following description, and its distinctive noveltyclearly indicated in the concluding clauses. Y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improvedmoistening device, and Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to theline of view of Fig. l.

As shown in the drawings, my device proximates iu form to an hour'glass,which is the form in which I prefer to construct the device when madedouble-that is, the body of the device consists, preferably, of twohollow bulbs,

a af, joined at the center by a connecting-neck, l. Each bulb isprovided with an absorbent disk or moisten ing-pad, placed in either endof the bulb and disposed each side of the horizontal center of the bulb,their acting surfaces facing each other and separated sufficient-ly topermit access to the surface of either disk, as indicated at e d cf.Each bulb is also provided with a lateral aperture, h, which is cut inthe side of the bulb about centrally thereof, and between the positionof the moisteningdisks c d e f to permit access to the same.

The bulbs are formed with encircling corrugations g g, each sideof thelateral aperture 7L, which form on the interior of the bulbs projectingshoulders, which afford a hold for the inserted moistening-disks c d ef, and which on the exterior form grooves,in which a sliding orrotatable cover, i, is fitted to turn on the cylindrical surface of thebulb, and thus serve to cover or expose the aperture h to permit accessto the moisteners or preserve the same from dust or evaporation,according as the cover is turned one way or the other. Themoistening-disks closely fit the internal diameter of the bulbs, but donot entirely fill the cavity thereof, so as to leave spaces, as shown,for the reception of water to keep the disks moist.

The bulbs are preferably made with iiat bottoms, so that the device maybe set on either end, being thus invertible like an hour-glass, so thatthe moisture may thus gravitate or slowly trickle from one bulb orseries of moisteningdisks to the other, and so that the moisture maythus be alternately transferred from one to the other, as theircondition may require, by simply inverting the position of the bulbs.

The device, however, may be made single, or in one bulb only, in whichcase both extremities of the bulb are formed fiat, so thatit may beinverted and set on either end, as desired, the same as the hour-glassform, the construction of the bulb in other respects beingthe same asdescribed for each bulb of the double form.

I preferto constructthe device of glass, blown from the base of one ofthe bulbs to the shape shown in the drawings, and of true continuouscircular form without the lateral openings h h, which are afterwardformed. After the glass is blown it is then chucked in a lathe, and abrass ring to form the sliding cover t' is spun upon the bulb, its edgesbeing turned into the grooves g g. The lateral openings are then formedby a grindstone, which cuts through the brass ring and the glass beneathit to the extent desired to form an opening of sufficient size. Theglass is covered at the grooved part with a strip of paper before thespinning operation to form a cushion to protect the glass, and also toform a loose t of the ring on the glass when the paper is subsequentlyremoved to permit the free working of the cover.

The Inoistening-disks c d e f are preferably of various kinds andadapted for different uses. I prefer to adapt one disk for use as ahone, as shown at d, forming a porous and absorbent whetstone, composed,say, of pottery clay and emery baked in a very porous condition, so thatit will readily absorb the water and be always moist and ready for use,the lateral opening h permitting the insertion of the blade to besharpened thereon.

inglisks may be adapted for general moistening purposes-such asmoistemng the tips of The other moistenthe fingers, moisteningpostage-stamps, Ste., andmay be made of any suitable soft absorbentmaterial. I prefer, however, to construct one of the moisteners ofsponge, as shown at e, and the others may be of une-grainedend-woodthatis,the disk bein gcut across the grain of the wood andpreferably punetured with ne punctures, which extend through the diskinline with the grain, so as to render the disk more permeable andabsorbent; or the disk may be made preferably of those pith woods knownin botany as pourretia platania folia7 or oehromo lygophus, as indicatedat o. The disks may also be formed of a molded soft absorbent material,such as felt, as shown at j', and with a shoulder to rest upon theshoulder of the bulb, as indicated.

What I claim as my invention isl. A moistening device formed of a hollowbulb or shell adapted to retain a moisteningiiuid, and fitted with anabsorbent disk or moistening-pad Vin the hollow ot' each of its ends,and provided with a centra-l lateral aperture opening into the hollow ofthe bulb between the opposing faces of the moisteningdisks to permitaccess to the same, the bulb being invertible, so that either end may beplaced upright to permit the gravitation of the moisture from one end tothe other, substantially as herein set forth.

2. A moistenin g device proximatin g in form to an hour-glass, or formedoftwo hollow bulbs, a a', joined by a central neck, b, the said bulbsbeing fitted with a moistening-disk in each end and provided with alateral aperture, h, between the said disks, the whole device beinginvertible to permit the transfer of moisture from one bulb to theother, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. A moistening` device formed of a hollow bulb provided with a lateralaperture, h, and having its interior fitted with a :moisteningdisk, incombination with a sliding rotatable cover, t', capable of partialrotation upon the bulb to cover or expose the lateral aperture,substantially as herein shown and described.

4. A moistening device formed of the combination, with a hollowinvertible vessel adapted to retain moisture, of absorbent disks of en dwood, fitted transversely in the apertures of the said vessel, so as toclose the same and expose an even wet surface adapted for the moisteningof articles thereon, and arranged, substantially as described, so thatthe moisture may be 'transferred through the wooden disks, from one endof the vessel to the other, by inverting the device, substantially asherein shown and described.

DR. XVM. XV. BEACH.

YVitnesses:

S. H. WALES, CHAs. M. HIGGINS.

